When All Else Fails
by Demon2
Summary: PG for language. Ever be really happy, then suddenly everything falls apart on you? It's happening to Sydney. I'm no good at summaries. Just read it, k? Syd/?, death, angst, some humor and other stuff...
1. Not Again

I know it's not much, but I want reviews n such before I post the next part... yes, it's already written! Amazing, coming from me...****

  
  
Disclaimer: (since I forgot it) I don't own Alias or the chars or such... and if I did, why would I be spending my time posting fics here? C'mon ppl!  
  
            Vaughn rushed through the oddly crowded CIA headquarters in search of Sydney. He had yet to speak to her today, but he knew that she'd be there somewhere, since there was news that her father hadn't yet returned from a mission that was due to be done three days ago. Glancing around the room for familiar faces, he noticed Weiss across the room. Weaving his way through the throng of excited workers, Vaughn approached Weiss.  
            "Weiss! Have you seen Syd?" Vaughn asked, avoiding unnecessary conversation.  
            "Where's Syd? No, 'Hi Weiss, how are you today?' or ' Hi Weiss, thank you for everything you've done for me'?" Weiss questioned, slightly hurt.  
            "I don't have time for this, Weiss, it's an emergency. Have you seen Syd?" Vaughn demanded.  
            Weiss sighed. "She's in the conference room with Kendall. Something happened to Jack, it seems."  
            "I know. Thanks," Vaughn said distractedly as he rushed toward the conference room. Vaughn opened the door just as Kendall concluded the briefing. Kendall glared at Vaughn; however, he was ignored as Vaughn spotted Sydney gathering her papers. Sydney looked up in that instant, and he motioned her over to the door. She rushed over, hope evident in her eyes.  
            "Have you heard anything about my father?" Sydney asked, looking at him almost pleadingly.  
            "I'm afraid I haven't, other than about his disappearance." Vaughn said sadly. "But there's something else we need to worry about."  
            "What is it?" Sydney asked, as she was pulled by Vaughn toward the exit.  
            "Something's happened to Will. He won't answer his phone."  
            The worry and concern on her face increased as she followed Vaughn out to his car. She knew that Will always left his cell on, and would always answer it unless he couldn't get to it for some reason. Temporarily putting aside her concern for her father, Sydney jumped into Vaughn's car and hoped that nothing had happened to Will either.  
Sydney shook her head. It all had to happen at once. She was planning a trip with Vaughn to New Zealand, she was finally beginning to understand her father, and, otherwise, she was the happiest she had ever been in her life. Now, everything was falling apart, all at once, as if some unknown force didn't want her to be happy.

Ever.


	2. Not Real

            It took only 10 minutes for Sydney and Vaughn to reach her apartment from headquaters, thanks to Vaughn's erratic driving.  Once there, they rushed to her apartment, almost running down a little kid who had jumped into their path from out of nowhere.  Avoiding the kid, they reached the door in record time.  Sydney slowly opened the door and stepped inside, Vaughn close behind her.  The scene that lay before their eyes made Sydney gasp in shock, and Vaughn turn away for a moment.

            Just inside the doorway, covered in blood and riddled with stab wounds, was one of Sydney's closest friends.  Sydney fell to the ground next to Francie in complete shock as she stared at the numerous 3-pronged stab wounds that scarred her body.  The offending weapon, a metal spork, lay mere inches from her.

            Vaughn glanced around the room, looking for signs of the murderer.  He noticed Will sitting in a dark corner across the room, arms wrapped around his knees as he slowly rocked back and forth, staring blankly into the distance.  As Vaughn approached Will, he heard him mumbling to himself, so quietly that it was barely audible.  Moving in a bit closer, Vaughn managed to hear what Will was saying, almost chanting, to himself.

            "Not real… not real…"

            Vaughn turned to Sydney, who was still kneeling near Francie. "Syd?" He asked.  Sydney looked up as she wiped tears from her eyes.

            "How's Will?" She asked, voice cracking slightly as she rose to join them.  Vaughn shook his head.

            "He's muttering about something not being real." Vaughn frowned, scratching his head.  Sydney turned to Will and lightly set her hand on his arm.  He flinched slightly from her touch, otherwise, he continued to stare blankly at the far wall.

            "Will, what happened?" Sydney asked softly, trying to mask her overwhelming sorrow.  After several moments of silence, Will's eyes refocused, however he continued to stare at the far wall.

            "Not the real one…" Will said softy.

            "What's not real?" Sydney inquired, confused.  There was a long silence as Sydney and Vaughn, filled with tension, waited for Will's reply.  When the silence was almost unbearable, Will spoke again.

            "Not… real… Francie…" 

            Sydney and Vaughn glanced at each other, not knowing what to think about that statement.  Sydney shook her head and turned back to Will.  "How can Francie not be real?"  

            Will slowly turned to face Sydney, his eyes red and swollen, and his cheeks stained with tears.  "She wasn't the real Francie.  She was someone else… who looked like Francie…" he answered, a multitude of contrasting emotions cracking his voice as they flashed across his face.  "She said… she said that I was a fool… for believing she was the real one.." Will stated, obviously predicting their next question, or, perhaps, merely needing to talk about the incident for his health, or, more likely, his sanity.

            Vaughn and Sydney glanced at each other again, this time very concerned.

            "How could she not be the real…" Sydney started.

            "Project Helix," Vaughn interruped, as the realization of the truth struck him.  Sydney became very quiet as considered the implications of this statement, and, as she did so, Vaughn turned back to Will.

            "Will, did she say any other names?  Any at all?" He questioned.  Will continued to rock back and forth as he stared at Sydney.  

            "Sloane…"


	3. Realization

            The dangerous revelation of Sloane's infiltration of Sydney's home was well understood. Knowing that Francie had been close to Will and the information he had about the CIA, however little it was, disturbed everyone at CIA Headquaters. Sydney, for obvious reasons, was the most bothered by this. Her best friend Francie was presumed dead, Will was insane, and Sloane had found a way to keep an eye, and an ear, on her activities.  
            Sydney wandered down a hallway that led to Kendall's office, as she considered everything that had happened to her. It had been two weeks since they discovered the fake Francie sporked to death in her own apartment. Her apartment, Sydney dwelled, was the only place where she felt like herself, even when lying about where she worked. It was the only place she felt truly safe, as she was surrounded by friends, and had little to worry about anything happening to them. It was the only stable part of her life. And Sloane infiltrated it. He not only spyed on the spy, but also put her loved ones at risk. Her father was still missing, Francie was dead, and Will was declared insane. Thanks to Sloane, the only person she had left to turn to was Vaughn.  
            Sydney shook her head to clear her thoughts; thoughts that had been haunting her since her father's disappearance - thoughts that had not only stalked her during consciousness, but also appeared in her dreams at night. Thoughts that she believed were making her crazy.  
            The door to Kendall's office opened just as she proceeded to knock, causing her knock on Kendall's bald head instead of the wooden door.  
            "My apologies," Sydeny quickly apologized as Kendall glared at her. He then shook his head and pulled out a white cloth, with which he proceeded to rub the spot that Sydney had knocked on.  
            "I just got my head waxed today," he muttered to himself, putting the cloth away. Sydney heard what he said, however, choose not to comment. "Agent Bristow, what do you want? I'm in a hurry." Kendall growled.  
            "I request permission to see Will" Sydney said, her face a cold, expressionless mask, much like her father's. Kendall shook his bald head, reflecting the flouresent lights into Sydney's face as he did.   
             "Permission denied, Agent Bristow," Kendall replied coldly. Sydney's eyes flashed, and not just because of the reflection off of Kendall's head.   
            "Why don't you allow me to see him? What's the problem with that?" Sydney questioned icily.   
            "Agent Bristow, are you questioning my authority?" Kendall asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Sydney remained silent, struggling with herself to avoid going off. She wanted to see Will… hell, she felt like she needed to see him. Kendall, naturally, wouldn't allow her to. He watched Sydney as she struggled with her thoughts, fighting back all the bitter remarks that threatened to burst forth. After a few minutes, Kendall again spoke.  
            "I understand that you want to see Will Tippin. However, there are more important matters to be concerned with. Like you, for example. Ever since your father's disappearance, you haven't been the same. As a result, you will be given two weeks to do whatever you need to do in order to be the Agent Bristow you once were. Oh, and that is not an option, it's an order," Kendall added, seeing Sydney begin to protest. With that said, Kendall proceeded down the hallway leaving Sydney alone, again, with her thoughts.   
            It seemed like a hundred emotions flashed across Sydney's face just then, ranging from completely lost to intensely furious. She didn't like being ordered to take a vacation. She knew that she wasn't at her best, however, she also knew that she had many things to do before she could rest and take the time needed to grieve.   
            With that, a determined, yet impassive, look settled on her face, she proceeded out of CIA headquaters. Unbeknownst to her, a silent observer followed her every move as she walked down the street planning out her mandatory two-week vacation.   
  



	4. Missing

A/N: Freplica's dead, but Vaughn and Syd haven't kissed… end note.

Vaughn was concerned for Sydney's well being.  He had watched her since her father's disappearance, and the episode at her apartment.  She had become quieter, calmer, and always seemed to be lost in thought.  No longer was she the outspoken, lighthearted, active Sydney that everyone knew and loved.  Sydney had become distant, even on missions, which had placed her in precarious positions that she could have otherwise avoided.

He shook his head.  It pained him to see Sydney suffer.  Every time he looked at her cold, expressionless face that hid her pain, he wanted to take her into his arms and make her troubles go away.  He couldn't do that, however.  Despite the overwhelming love he had for Sydney, he didn't know if she had the same feelings.  He figured it was better to love her from afar than to risk ruining their relationship.  Vaughn laughed.  For a CIA agent, he sure seemed to prefer playing it safe.

Weis gave Vaughn a curious look.  Shrugging, Vaughn returned to his paperwork from his last mission.  As he worked, however, his attention continually wandered off to Syd.  He knew that Kendall had given her a two-week vacation to grieve, and hopefully get past the trauma that she had recently experienced.  However, he was still concerned.  Something was nagging at him in the back of his mind, something that was more stubborn than stalker named Rin.  He stopped.  Stalker named Rin?  Where did that come from?  He had meant to say more stubborn than mule.  Shaking his head again, Vaughn looked at the clock, and realized it was time for him to go home.

"Want to get some drinks?" Weiss asked as he grabbed his briefcase.  Vaughn shook his head.

"No, I haven't been getting much sleep lately.  I believe that it's time to catch up." Vaughn replied, stretching.  Weiss shrugged.

"Fine, but I still say you should go out for drinks.  It'll get your mind off Syd for a while."  Weiss noted.

Vaughn waved Weiss away.  "I'll be fine."

Weiss shrugged again.  "Have it your way.  I'll see you tomorrow." Weiss said as he walked off.  Vaughn watched him for a moment before turning down to his papers.  He was finished, and needed to turn them in to Kendall.  Quickly, Vaughn packed his briefcase, grabbed the report and wandered down to Kendall's office.  The door was cracked open, but no one was in.  Vaughn stepped in long enough to set the report on Kendall's desk, and then turned to leave, when he heard Kendall talking to someone a few doors down.  

Thinking nothing of it, Vaughn left Kendall's office and began to walk down the hall, but an outburst from Kendall made Vaughn stop cold.

"What do you mean that Sydney Bristow is missing?"

"W…well… s..s..she's no longer at her apartment, sir.  A…and I c…can't s…seem to l…locate her." The quiet, studdering voice of Marshall said.

"Well, find her!  We can't have out best operative go missing, especially when she's in the state that she is!  I don't care how you do it, find her!" Kendall roared, and he left the room and slammed the door.  Fuming, Kendall stormed down the hallway, past were Vaughn had been standing only seconds before.  When Kendall was out of sight, Vaughn poked his head out of Kendall's office.

"Syd's missing?" Vaughn asked himself, alarmed.  Trying to remain as calm as possible, Vaughn left Kendall's office and proceeded to the parking lot.  It took a lot of effort, since the entire time he wasn't to break into a mad dash, but he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to do so.  After what seemed like an eternity, Vaughn finally made it to his car in the parking garage.  Vaughn got into his car and closed the door quickly.  For a few moments, he sat in his car wondering what happened to Syd.  A million different possibilities crossed his mind, each more painful and gruesome than the last.  

Shaking his head to clear the images, Vaughn started his car and exited the parking garage, wondering where he should start looking.  He knew there'd be no way for him to catch up on his missed sleep now.  His mind was permanently set on Sydney.  All he could do now was hope.  Hope that Sydney was okay.  Hope that she'd be found safe.  Hope that her ordeal would soon end.


End file.
